


It Had to Be You

by anne_ammons



Series: Drabbles for Fairest of the Rare - Lovefest 2020 [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22852321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anne_ammons/pseuds/anne_ammons
Summary: At the Yule Ball, Harry begins to see things in a new light.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Series: Drabbles for Fairest of the Rare - Lovefest 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633945
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66
Collections: Love Fest 2020





	It Had to Be You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LauraArmada](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauraArmada/gifts).



Harry hadn’t expected to enjoy himself this much. Sure, Ron’s mood had threatened to put a damper on the night, but fortunately, his role as one of the champions had kept him far, far away from his foul-tempered friend. Ill-fitting robes, ill humour. It wasn’t Ron’s best night. Harry had truly felt sorry for Ron’s date, Padma, stuck sitting at a table most of the night, until one of the Durmstrang students rescued her.

Hermione, on the other hand, was dancing and laughing near his side, thoroughly enjoying the night with her date Viktor Krum. No one had seen that coming. She had been rather tight-lipped about the whole thing.

Honestly, Harry was amazed at how beautiful Hermione was tonight, with her hair perfectly curled and a dress that truly made her look like a princess. He hadn’t even seen her until Parvati gasped when they were lining up. He had turned to see what the issue was and then he lost all rational thought until the music started and Parvati pulled him inside to start the dance.

It was a far cry from their school uniforms or the baggy jumpers she preferred to wear on the weekends. Harry had known her since they were eleven and he didn’t think he had ever seen her look like _this_.

Not that his own date didn’t look beautiful in her own right, but Hermione was simply stunning. He noticed, with a slight groan, that the girl he often thought of as a sister all of a sudden seemed to have curves in places he hadn’t realized. He felt like an idiot for missing something that was clearly so obvious. Something that had been right in front of his face all this time.

Others had noticed. He had heard plenty of talk about Hermione before — most of it about how she wouldn’t give anyone the time of day. To be honest, most boys were simply intimidated by her intelligence, which is how she had ended up at the dance on the arm of the Durmstrang champion, rather than that of any number of boys who would have been happy to take her.

The funny thing was that he wasn’t intimidated by her. He knew her better than anyone else at the school. He knew what made her laugh and the things she cared about. He knew how she took her tea and where to look for her when the light hitting the Black Lake was just right. 

But, there was Ron. Harry had always stood back, thinking that Ron had the superior claim. But that was before tonight. If Ron was just going to piss around, Harry wasn’t willing to any longer.

And while he didn’t want to be shot down, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t willing to take a shot.

* * *

The four champions and their dates were all twirling around the room. He did his best to remember the steps Professor McGonagall had taught them, trying to keep his feel off of Parvati’s toes. The current dance was one that saw their partners change at certain points in the music. When Hermione curtseyed to him, as their turn came, he grinned and took her hand in his.

She leaned in towards him. “This is quite a night.”

“I’ll say. Are you having a good time?”

“Yes. You?” Hermione gripped his hand tighter.

“It’s pretty hot in here. Do you want to get some air?” He cringed hearing the words come out of his mouth. That was not what he had hoped to sound like.

Still, she smiled at him. “Sure, Harry. Maybe when this song is over, we can see if Viktor and Parvati want to take a walk.”

He felt like an idiot. Of course, Hermione would think he would have meant for them all to go.

The current part of the song was ending. Hermione would be moving on from him momentarily. As the music changed to signal them to bow and curtsey again, he decided to seize the moment. After all, he wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. As they straightened up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “I meant just you and me, Hermione.”

She gave him a curious look, but then walked away from him, back to her partner.

The rest of the song was torturous. What was she thinking? Why had he said that? He found himself stepping on Parvati’s toes for the third time, due to his distraction. His heart was racing.

As the song ended, Parvati looked up at him with a furrow in her brow. “I need a break, Harry.”

He was all too happy to oblige and led Parvati to a table and left to get some punch. Hermione and Viktor must have had the same idea, as they stood at the refreshment table. Hermione saw Harry approaching, turned to Viktor and whispered something in his ear. She then came walking towards him with a look on her face that he couldn’t quite read.

“Well, let’s go.”

“What?” He was more than a little surprised.

“You said you wanted to walk… let’s walk.” She looped her arm in his and headed towards the door.

“But, what about Parvati and Viktor?”

Hermione stopped and pointed, “I sent Viktor over with punch. They’ll be fine. She’ll be starstruck and won’t understand a thing that he says. And Viktor just needs someone to keep the groupies away.”

Harry chuckled at that. “Well then, shall we?”

“Indeed, we shall.” They both laughed.

Harry maneuvered her out of the Great Hall, music echoing from the room behind them.Neither of them spoke. For his part, Harry was lost in his own thoughts, wondering what exactly he would say to the person who was already such a part of who he was. He was excited for the chance, but also nervous for the outcome. This wasn’t something he could mess up. It was too important.

The sounds of the party had faded when he spied a tapestry and ducked behind it. He helped Hermione onto the window seat and then jumped up and settled beside her.

The two sat there looking out at the night beyond the window. Hermione rested her head on Harry’s shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her, tucking her into his side. It was something they had done many times before, but this time, felt different to him. He could feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing. He let his fingers trail against the top of her arm.

Hermione broke the silence. “As lovely as the ball is, I think I like the quiet much better.”

“You know that is not _my_ scene.”

“But you did well, Harry. I was watching you. Everyone had their eyes on you, and you didn’t act like it at all.”

He groaned at the thought.

“Well, not everyone.” He retorted. “There were plenty of people looking at you.”

She looked up at him, her face troubled. “What do you mean, Harry?”

“You have to know that you were the most beautiful girl there tonight, Hermione.”

She started to protest, but fell silent when Harry shook his head.

“Look. I should have asked you. I know. But, it seemed that Ron wanted to ask you. And I’ve never wanted to get in the way what the two of you might have. But, you need to know, I’m done being on the sidelines, Hermione.”

Harry paused and took a deep breath. “I will always be your friend and be there for you, but I looked at you tonight and realized that may not be enough.”

At those words, Hermione sat up and Harry immediately missed her warmth.

She turned towards him, and through the moonlight streaming through the window, she absolutely took his breath away. He had been such an idiot to not see it before now.

“You and Ron? It sounds like you had already figured this out. Don’t I get a say in things? Isn’t it up to me who I choose to give my heart to?”

“Of course. I just thought…”

“Well, you thought wrong, Harry James Potter.”

He braced himself for a lecture. Clearly he had gambled and lost. But then, Hermione cupped his face with her hand.

“You are the one person who has been by my side since our first year. You are the first person I look for in the morning and the last person I say good night to before I go to bed. I love Ron dearly, but he’s not you, Harry.”

She leaned in and kissed him.

Harry was stunned and sat there for a moment before realizing that he should be kissing her back. But when he finally did, he threw all of his enthusiasm behind it. He was kissing Hermione Granger — one of his oldest and best friends. It both excited and terrified him. He wondered if she might be thinking the same thing.

After several minutes, their lips parted with a giggle.

“Okay… that was at least a little weird for you, too, right?” Harry chuckled.

“Definitely, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to do it again.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Harry leaned in and claimed Hermione’s lips once more.

Ron would be livid, Harry was sure of it, but he’d deal with it later, and they'd work through it. They had been friends too long to not. But at the moment, he just couldn’t seem to care about anything other than the beautiful witch with her hands wrapped around his neck who was snogging him as if he was the the only boy in the world.


End file.
